April 14 Wednesday – At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam wrote to Chatto & Windus: “Thank you ever so much. The madam wants another one—also a Huckleberry Finn. Will you send them?” [MTP].
Sam also wrote to John Y. MacAlister, that he’d finished his book the day before and that “The Madam edited this stuff out of it—on the ground that the first part is not delicate & that the last part is indelicate.” Would “the boys accept of condemned literature?” [MTP].
April 13 Tuesday – London. Sam claimed another “finished” for FE [Apr. 14 to MacAlister]. Note: This was to be only a draft. Sam’s notebook also registered: “London, Apl. 13, ’97. I finished my book today” [NB 41 TS 21].
April 12 Monday – The ledger books of Chatto & Windus show that 1,500 (3s.6d.) additional copies of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were printed , totaling 32,500 [Welland 236].
April 10 Saturday – At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam wrote to Mr. Maxwell (not further identified), approving some unspecified action of Maxwell’s, which Sam thought a good idea: “What do I think of it? I think you did well & wisely” [MTP]. Note: Again this is a reply to an not-extant letter. It would seem that many incoming letters from this London period were not saved.
April 9 Friday – Two copies of How to Tell a Story and Other Essays were deposited with the US Copyright Office [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.21, Oxford ed. 1996]. Note: the title piece, “How to Tell a Story” ran first in the Oct. 1895 issue of Youth’s Companion. Note: M. Johnson gives Mar. 9 as official publication date.
April 8 Thursday – At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam wrote to James R. Clemens [MTP]. Note: No text is available.
April 6 Tuesday – At 4 a.m., 23 Tedworth Square in London Sam replied to a not-extant note from John Y. MacAlister.
Ah, but I mustn’t stir from my desk before night, now when the publisher is hurrying me & I am almost through [with FE]. I am up & at work now—4 o’clock in the morning—& a few more spurts will pull me through. You come down here & smoke; that is better than tempting working men to strike & go to tea.
April 4 Sunday – William Dean Howells wrote to Sam.
“I am very sorry that I cannot read at the Authors’ Guild Entertainment. I long ago decided not to take part in Author’s readings, and there is nothing but your kindly wish, to make me revise this decision in the present case. Yours…” [MTP; not in MTHL].
April 3 Saturday – Johannes Brahms, composer, pianist died in Vienna.
April 2 Friday – Munsey’s Magazine included “My Favorite Author and His Best Book,” by William Dean Howells, p. 18-25. Tenney: “Surprisingly, a discussion of many novelists in various periods as favorites; near the end, praises CY as ‘delicious…I feel under all its impossibilities that it is true to the character of that man (Morgan) and true to all the conditions’” [MTJ Bibliographic Issue Number Four 42:1 (Spring 2004) p.7].